The Best Things I’ve Learned: Holistic Silk founder, Joanna Weakley

What are the life lessons that relaxation accessories guru Joanna Weakley has learned during her career? We caught up with her to find out

They say your bedroom should be your sanctuary and when it comes to finding beautiful tools to better equip it as such, Holistic Silk has fast become one of our favourite brands for establishing some calm amidst the chaos. Created by Joanna Weakley as a response to the lack of effective yet pretty accessories available for travel and relaxation, the company’s range of gorgeous face masks (seriously some of the best we’ve tried), silk pillowcases, slippers and other little luxuries have made the art of switching off in an increasingly switched on world much easier than we thought possible.

So how does the name behind the brand switch off herself? We caught up with Joanna to find out about the life lessons she's learned thus far.

The best things I've learned about...

Failure

It does sound like a bit of a cliché, but…

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.” A no today could be a yes tomorrow. Believing in what you are doing is key. Even 'failure' can lead to positive results as it lets us analyse both our focus and direction and plan how to move forward.

Switching off

One of my New Year promises to myself was to keep the bedroom a gadget-free zone; I have never allowed anything including my phone in there! It’s so important to give your mind that space to de-stress and switch off. I try to relax with a book before bedtime. Walking and Pilates also give me time to clear my mind.

Getting older can be a beautiful and natural process and striving to age gracefully is tough in our ‘perfect’ world. Regular exercise and avoiding stress is so important to prevent premature ageing. We do understand that this is an ongoing battle for our customers, hence why we have introduced anti-ageing products into the range!

Money

Less can be more in some situations. Having a strict budget can mean you have to be much more creative than you would have been otherwise.

Are my biggest inspiration - at the forefront are my family who support me every day.

Hiring staff

We have a close-knit team here at Holistic Silk and two of our employees have come back to work for us after other jobs/sabbaticals. We all eat lunch together once a week and have a team meeting every morning at 9am so everyone is clear on their goals and objectives for the day.

Confidence at work

Product training and a great working environment is essential when advising and reassuring customers. There is truth in the saying “Knowledge is power!”

Basic/neutral pieces that can be mixed and matched are invaluable, especially when travelling. A white shirt, little black dress and striped top always feature in my suitcase, teamed with a classic pair of sunglasses and statement jewellery.

Organising myself

Lists, lists and more lists! They really work for me to focus and get things done.

The digital age

Not always a good thing! I of course love some elements of it; however I do feel that in a digital sense we are evolving at such a rate it’s not surprising we are malfunctioning on certain levels and this concerns me. Poor sleep and stress have skyrocketed - especially in the young - since I was originally inspired to start the business 16 years ago. We are really striving to promote awareness of the need for people to take time to “Relax, Restore and Rejuvenate” to maintain good health.

Office politics

We all work in the same space so respect for one another and the workplace is a must. No one is less equal than another when it comes to being listened to and an opinion taken.

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